Juicing a Lemon Without Cutting It Is the Sweet Tea Trick We All Need This Summer

With summer fast approaching, lemons are going to be in high demand. Juiced for cocktails, squeezed onto grilled veggies and incorporated into easy-action cobblers and custards, the tangy party will go on for months.

While juicing a lemon is a pretty basic activity—you know, cut in half, smush in one of those pit-catching devices—turns out, we may have been doing it wrong all along. According to TikTok, the year's authority on neat cooking tricks, there's another way, and it's way more fun.

To juice a lemon without cutting it at all (believe it!) you'll need to pick a thin-skinned, juicy lemon (Meyer lemons are a great option if available) and utilize a little technique; first, roll it across a cutting board, just like you would to a bottle of nail polish before using it. Rolling the bottle loosens up the polish and helps it become runnier after days of standing still, and the same goes for the fruit—rolling softens the lemon and releases the juice. The only lemon-specific pointer? While you roll, also gently press.

Further, give your softened, still-whole and rolled citrus baby a few good squeezes—this is where small, eager kids may come handy—and get a bamboo skewer. Insert into the lemon horizontally, aiming for the non-stem tip. Lastly, aim the pierced tips at your food or drink of choice and squeeze. Juice should be pouring out freely. No knife, no messy cutting boards, and all the benefits of a good party trick.

One word of wisdom before you try—while squeezing a half of a lemon will get you a larger circumference of distribution—above, say, a salad, using this method means the juice will pour directly into one spot, so make sure to move the lemon around if you're drizzling a large plate of greens or a sheet pan full of roasted chicken.